Dolly Parton’s niece shares emotional tribute after singer’s private funeral

The country star’s funeral Friday was a private affair attended by family members, said her niece Lainey Parton.

Dolly Parton was laid to rest in a private funeral service attended by family on Friday, according to her niece.

Lainey Parton shared an emotional tribute post on Instagram on Saturday, writing: “This is a really hard post for me to make. I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words.”

Parton died Tuesday following a brief battle with cancer at age 80. Her social media pages said that at her request, a small private service would be held for immediate family.

Lainey remembered Parton as a loving and inspiring figure who “believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself.”

“Because she couldn’t have kids of her own, she always made us feel like we were hers. She loved us that way, and I’ll forever be grateful for that,” she wrote.